1991 Chevy Silverado - Overlooked

Sometimes It's In The Details

By Kevin Whipps, Photography by The ST Staff

Sport Truck, November 01, 2009

There are lots of trucks out there that get tons of attention. They sport mammoth wheels, a huge body-drop, and so much custom paint that parking at the mall is no longer an option. These trucks become less about function and more about style; pretty showpieces that look good lying on the ground but then get hauled off on a trailer instead of being driven. But sometimes, the really cool trucks slip between the cracks. They don't get as much attention as their flashy brethren, but the fact is they are better. That's the truck on these pages. Kelly Dickinson, a sheetmetal worker from Sacramento, California, decided to build this ride as a pretty showpiece, but with lots of little details that most people miss at first glance. And it's those little details that make this truck such a work of art once inspected further.

Let's take the bed for example, a part with tons of sheetmetal mods that most wouldn't notice. The gas door has been converted to an oval shape - a subtle mod for sure, something that people who drive an '88-'98 CK might not notice. The back of the bed, right above the integrated amp rack with 7-inch monitor, has been leveled out to match the bedsides. That's because the stock wall of the bed sat below the rails, and Kelly wanted it to look even. The corners of the bed by the tailgate have integrated spikes with expanded metal inserts that flow around the gate and into the bedrail. To match those details, the tailgate corners were radiused and smoothed, leaving a tight gap that the factory never intended. That same tailgate has the upper bodyline shaved as well as the stock handle. Below that, the rollpan has an arch-shaped sheetmetal insert with more spike patterns with expanded metal inserts, continuing the theme even further. Even the mirrors sport a pair of pointed panels, jutting into the window area but looking even sharper.

Under the hood is even better. Most trucks nowadays have a pretty filter and a few billet pieces here and there, but not this ride. Kelly went the extra mile and built a custom filter cover with billet inserts that is painted to match the truck. Coolflex hoses and an Optima battery round out the engine bay, a stunning affair that looks better than most.

The interior is covered in paint, with almost every panel smoothed out and sprayed to match the exterior. There are a few custom pieces here like the fiberglass door inserts that hold a pair of Arc Audio components, and the molded sub box that fits behind the leather-wrapped bench seat that looks like it belongs there. Another nice detail is the carpet. It's from a Mercedes-Benz, which gives it an old-school German feel. More billet is in the cab as well, with parts from Trenz, Billet Specialties, and Empire scattered about in a way that doesn't overdo it yet adds a clean look that accents the Fire Red Pearl paint sprayed on the exterior.

Some showgoers may overlook this truck, but this CK is worth an extra glance. It took a few years to build, but Kelly still drives this truck whenever he can. It doesn't have a body drop, and there are no crazy tribal flames or graphics, but what it does have is lots and lots of style.